Italian Comfort Food: Intensive Eating from Fresco by Scotto Restaurant [Hardcover]

Scotto Family (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 17, 2002

When Marion Scotto's grandmother, Elena, opened a poultry market in South Brooklyn in 1910, she didn't know she was starting a family food dynasty. A born entertainer from a long line of fabulous cooks, Marion, who says that she "never knew how to cook for two," opened Fresco by Scotto in 1993 with her son, Anthony Jr., and daughters Rosanna and Elaina.

Now, in Italian Comfort Food, the Scottos combine the delicious flavors and warmth of Italy with the neighborly atmosphere of a quintessential New York restaurant, sharing funny stories and dozens of their prized recipes. Here you'll find hearty, mouthwatering dishes that are easy to prepare and give us what we crave: satisfying, homey fare. This is food for a languid Sunday afternoon, a romantic home-cooked dinner, a festive family party:

• The famously addictive Potato and Zucchini Chips with Gorgonzola
• Marinated Seafood Salad
• Meatball Lasagna
• Risotto with Roasted Winter Vegetables
• Grandma's Stuffed Chicken (the dish that started it all)
• Chocolate Mascarpone Cream Pie

Cooking with Italian Comfort Food is the next best thing to sitting down to a warm welcome and a wonderful meal at Fresco, an oasis in the heart of Manhattan.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This pleasant, if slight, cookbook from the Scotto family (Fresco), proprietors of New York's popular Fresco by Scotto eatery, serves best as a souvenir of the restaurant with recipes drawn from the Scottos' satisfying repertoire and numerous headnotesanecdotes recalling the fare they have served celebrities ranging from Bill Gates to Monica Lewinsky. Many dishes are old friends from Italian cuisine: Panzanella Salad, Penne with Fresh Tomato Sauce and Chicken Cacciatore. Even more are simplicity itself: Pasta Salad with Cannellini Beans and Arugula, Sicilian Couscous and Grilled Asparagus. Directions are concise, assuming that the reader knows how, for example, to clean an artichoke or create chocolate curls to garnish a cake. Some of the more extravagant restaurant recipes include Black Winter Truffle and Red Beet Ravioli and the sublime and nearly effortless Mashed Potatoes with Sevruga Caviar. Desserts include a Bill Clinton favorite: Praline Cookies, transformed into sandwiches with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. Although their book is not a necessity, the Scottos do know how to celebrate the comforts inherent in some of the world's favorite food.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Ecco; 1 edition (September 17, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060515694
• ISBN-13: 978-0060515690
• Product Dimensions: 12.1 x 7.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,401,016 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, October 13, 2002

By 

Marilyn DelGaizo (Accord, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian Comfort Food: Intensive Eating from Fresco by Scotto Restaurant (Hardcover)

I was very, very disappointed in this book. The title is misleading in every way. If I had a kitchen staff of 15, these receipes would work. The receipes are time consumming and I did not find one receipe that was comforting. I saw this book advertised on Good Day NY and purchased the book immediately. I thought the biggest downfall was that there were no pictures of the foods. Presentation is very important and this book lacks it. I could of lived without the celebrity name dropping and would have loved pictures of the foods. I might of taken on the challenge of the time consuming receipes had I known seen a picture of it. There was one receipe I would have considered to prepare and then the book mentioned that it was Kathie Lee Gifford's favorite food. That ruined it right there.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comfort Food and Great Stories, October 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Italian Comfort Food: Intensive Eating from Fresco by Scotto Restaurant (Hardcover)

I have read the book cover to cover and sampled many of the receipies. The pictures and the stories make you feel like you are part of the family. This book is a great find for people who like to cook, eat and laugh. Its rare you find a cook book that is as entertaining as this one.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book! Great Place to eat!, January 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Italian Comfort Food: Intensive Eating from Fresco by Scotto Restaurant (Hardcover)

After watching the Scotto family on FOOD TV, It was a must to buy the cookbook. The mouth-watering recipes are a delight! We decided to visit the posh FrescobyScotto restaurant after hearing the great reviews. YUMMY! The food was AWESOME! My boyfriend is Italian and usually critiques every Italian restaurant, but Scotto's restaurant by far is one of his favorites.